Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-5-2016

Publication Source

The Journal of Positive Psychology

Volume Number

12

Issue Number

4

First Page

373

Last Page

384

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

ISSN

1743-9779

Comments

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Positive Psychology on 05 Aug 2016, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17439760.2016.1209540.

Abstract

Using a within subjects design, three emotion regulation strategies (compassion‐focused reappraisal, benefit‐focused reappraisal, and offense rumination) were tested for their effects on forgiveness, well‐being, and event‐related potentials (ERPs). Participants (N = 37) recalled a recent interpersonal offense as the context for each emotion regulation strategy. Both decisional and emotional forgiveness increased significantly for the two reappraisal strategies compared to offense rumination. Compassion‐focused reappraisal prompted the greatest increase in both decisional and emotional forgiveness. Furthermore, both reappraisal strategies increased positively oriented well‐being measures (e.g., joy, gratitude) compared to offense rumination, with compassion‐focused reappraisal demonstrating the largest effect on empathy. Late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in response to unpleasant affect words were larger following the benefit‐focused reappraisal strategy, indicating frontal LPP augmentation due to affective incongruence of the unpleasant stimuli with the positive, silver‐lining orientation of the benefit‐focused reappraisal emotion regulation strategy.

Keywords

Forgiveness, empathy, reappraisal, compassion, benefit‐finding, late positive potential, event related potential

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